When Robot Replaces Student Attendance At Graduation Ceremony

Graduation ceremony at a Japanese university (doc. BBT University)

JAKARTA - Many large events or activities have to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a few weeks ago, a university in Japan, had an alternative way to replace the attendance of its students at the graduation ceremony.

Utilizing a robot called 'Newme', the Business Breakthrough University in Tokyo, Japan held a graduation ceremony. The robots appeared fully equipped with graduation caps and gowns to replace the attendance of the students.

Universities in Japan use robots for graduation events (doc. BBT University)

Quoting from Channel News Asia, the university relies on a telepresence-based online system that is embedded in each robot of graduates. Where every student uses the Zoom teleconference application to attend live streaming and attend graduation events.

The 'faces' of the graduates will appear on a tablet attached to the robot's body. Meanwhile, the campus staff will control the robot during the graduation ceremony.

One by one, the robots head to the podium to receive their diplomas. The school staff clapped their hands and said "congrats!" when the President of Kenichi Ohmae University put the diploma on the shelf installed in the middle of the robot.

Students who still attend graduation amid COVID-19 (doc. BBT University)

"This is a completely new experience to receive a diploma without having to leave my place of residence," said Kazuki Tamura, one of the graduates through an avatar on his computer after receiving a graduation certificate.

In fact, the telepresence robot 'Newme' is a technology product made by a Japanese airline company, All Nippon Airways (ANA) Holdings. According to the CEO of ANA Holdings, Shinya Katanozaka, this avatar robot can represent the presence of someone to interact from even far away.

The use of this robot has been tested in airports and hospitals, as a medium for people without having to leave their place of residence. Even so, the robot's ability is still limited to the realtime display of its users.

Even so, the use of the Newme robot at the graduation ceremony can be an alternative in physical presence. Moreover, this robot also implements physical distancing or keeps a distance that can be useful during the COVID-19 pandemic.